iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy Owners Urged to Enable 24-Hour Lost-Phone Protections

Q: Why do Apple, Google, and Samsung want you to set up anti-theft tools now—and what mistake could help a thief keep your phone?

Apple, Google and Samsung want users to enable anti-theft and lost-device settings before anything goes wrong because these tools only work well if they are already turned on. Features such as Find My, Google Find Hub and Samsung Find My Mobile can show a phone’s location, use offline-finding networks, upload a last known location, lock the device, mark it as lost or erase it remotely. But if location access, offline finding, screen lock or last-location sharing were never enabled, recovery chances drop sharply once the phone is missing. The reason timing matters is that thieves often try to take a device offline quickly by switching it off, cutting connectivity or moving it before the owner reacts. Apple, Google and Samsung all now support some form of offline or post-shutdown locating on supported devices, but only when users have enabled the right settings in advance. Security add-ons such as Apple’s Stolen Device Protection and Android theft protections also make it harder for a thief to change account settings or unlock the phone. A key mistake that can help a thief keep the phone is removing it from the tracking system too soon. On Apple devices, removing the iPhone from Find My disables Activation Lock, making it easier for a thief to reuse or resell it. Another common mistake is trusting a fake “your phone was found” text and clicking a phishing link instead of going directly to the official Apple, Google or Samsung recovery site or app.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 30

Phone owners were advised to switch on built-in tracking and theft-protection tools before a device goes missing, rather than trying to set them up after a loss or theft.
Apple’s iPhone can stay findable for up to 24 hours after power-off or five hours in power reserve if Find My network and Send Last Location are enabled; Stolen Device Protection can also add a 1-hour delay for sensitive changes.
Google Pixel users were told to verify Find Hub, location services and offline finding, while Samsung Galaxy owners were urged to enable both Samsung Find features and Google Find Hub for broader recovery options.
If a phone disappears, users should open Find My, Google Find Hub or Samsung Find directly to locate, lock or erase the device, and avoid links in texts claiming the phone was found because thieves use phishing scams to steal passcodes.